Through preservation, education, and research museums provide space for communities to share ideas about their past, present, and future. The University of Iowa maintains a long tradition of training and preparing professionals for the interdisciplinary work that takes place in museums, offering courses continuously since 1910. Currently, The University of Iowa offers the Museum Studies Certificate, an 18-semester hour certificate program administered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). Undergraduate and non-traditional students can complete a Certificate alongside their major area of study or as a stand alone Certificate.

In addition to offering a wide range of museum studies courses on-campus, the program is pleased to present the Certificate online. With the support of Distance and Online Education, the Certificate offers a growing number of online courses taught by the same faculty teaching in the on-campus courses. Both online and on-campus courses make use of the many museum facilities on campus including The University of Iowa Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum, and the Old Capitol Museum.